The present invention relates to brushes in general. In particular, the present invention relates to brushes for scrubbing hands before surgical operations.
Surgical scrub brushes are typically used to decrease the amount of microorganisms and contaminating material from a surgeon""s hands by providing a tool for mechanically scrubbing the skin. Very often antiseptic chemicals are also used to reduce skin contaminants to a minimum. Therefore, prior to surgery, it is a prerequisite for surgeons to scrub their hands and forearms. The process would usually require a disposable, sterile and firm bristle scrub brush to physically and thoroughly remove dirt, grease and other particles that adhere to the fingers, finger nails 22, inter-digital areas 24, web spaces 26 and crevices 28 of the hands and forearms as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Some brushes are also provided with a sponge for the administration of antiseptic disinfectants. The sponge is typically impregnated with a disinfectant by the manufacturer, such that the user can just apply the disinfectant directly to the skin. The complete cleansing technique typically takes ten minutes.
FIGS. 2A and 2B show a conventional bristle brush with a sponge top. The conventional bristle brush 30 is molded as a rectangular piece, having a rectangular base 31, and uniform straight edges 32 on two opposing sides for hand-gripping. A rectangular sponge 34 is provided on one side of the base 31, and straight bristles extend from the other side of the base. Base 31 is also provided with slits 36 that that run along the center. This allows detergent solution that is typically impregnated into the sponge to flow from the sponge side to the bristle side.
It is clear, however, that the hand has many areas that are not easily scrubbed by a rectangular-shaped scrub. U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,446 describes a bendable brush such that bristles on one side may be swung onto oppositely extending sides for brushing engagement with an internal or concave surface. The bended surface, however, creates a large distance between the brushing ends of the bristles located thereon, and thus reduces the effective brushing surface exactly at the position where brushing is most needed. Furthermore, impregnating the sponge with a cleaning agent also causes the chemical and mechanical weakening of the sponge, and typically limits the storage life of the brush.
There is therefore a need to provide a improved scrub brush that addresses the limitations in the prior art.
Accordingly, the present invention provides, a scrub brush that contains a base with a narrow scrubbing head extending therefrom. The base contains two sides. The first side is provided with bristles extending outwards to form a brush. The second side is preferably provided with an absorbent material mounted thereon. The shape of the base is defined by a front edge, a back edge and two lateral edges therebetween. The front edge is formed into an elongated and pointed extension such that bristles positioned thereon form the scrubbing head while the bristles between the lateral edges form the main body. The scrubbing head contains a distal end and a proximal end, with the proximal end connected to the main body. The narrow scrubbing head is provided for the effective scrubbing of the interdigital areas and web spaces.
In the preferred embodiment, the ends of the bristles are formed into a contoured profile for the effective cleaning of various difficult-to-clean areas. The base is preferably made of a rigid plastic, with the bristle side of the base curved outwards to form a convex profile such that the ends of the bristles on the main body form a corresponding curved surface. In the preferred embodiment, a shallow, rod-shaped depression is further provided on the bristle profile on the main body. This depression assumes the approximate shape of one side of a finger such that the user can scrub his/her fingers effectively. In another preferred embodiment, the bristles at the distal end of the scrubbing head are longer than those positioned at the proximal end.